The 1960s shaped Palestinian militancy.
A thread on how the 6-Day War was followed by never ending Palestinian attacks on Israel 🧵 (1/?)
A thread on how the 6-Day War was followed by never ending Palestinian attacks on Israel 🧵 (1/?)
Encouraged by Arab leaders who told them they could soon return together with “the victorious Arab armies” many Palestinians left their homes during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.
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The Palestinian anger from realizing that they had left their homes unnecessarily and couldn’t come back fueled reckless militancy.
In the 1960s, Arab states and groups escalated aggressive campaigns, driving radicalization.
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In the 1960s, Arab states and groups escalated aggressive campaigns, driving radicalization.
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The PLO, formed on May 28 1964 at an Arab summit in East Jerusalem (Jordan at the time) was led by Ahmad Shuqayrī & pursued “violent liberation”
They launched their military wing months later & Ahmad traveled to China in 1965 to sign a weapons deal
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They launched their military wing months later & Ahmad traveled to China in 1965 to sign a weapons deal
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Fatah, founded in 1959 by Egyptian-born Yasser Arafat, launched its first attack in 1965 on the national water carrier in Galilee, initiating a guerrilla campaign against Israel
The attack was launched by Fatah’s military wing Al-Assifa
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The attack was launched by Fatah’s military wing Al-Assifa
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The Six-Day War (5-10 Jun 1967):
Egypt’s President Gamal Abdel Nasser mobilized troops his troops, and closed the Straits of Tiran, causing a war in which the Arab coalition lost Gaza and the West Bank.
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Egypt’s President Gamal Abdel Nasser mobilized troops his troops, and closed the Straits of Tiran, causing a war in which the Arab coalition lost Gaza and the West Bank.
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A year before the Six-Day War, Syria concluded a defense pact with Egypt which enabled the PLO’s aggressive attacks on Israel from Syrian soil.
After Syrian artillery & fighter jets attacked Israel in the Six-Day War, Israel took the Golan Heights
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After Syrian artillery & fighter jets attacked Israel in the Six-Day War, Israel took the Golan Heights
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King Hussein of Jordan had allowed Egypt to take command of its forces and the Jordanians launched an attack on Israel in Jerusalem in the first days of the Six-Day War.
Israel told the Jordanians that they would spare them if they backed out but the King answered “the die has been cast”
Jordan quickly lost the West Bank and Eastern Jerusalem to Israel.
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Israel told the Jordanians that they would spare them if they backed out but the King answered “the die has been cast”
Jordan quickly lost the West Bank and Eastern Jerusalem to Israel.
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The Soviets had been fomenting the chaos in the Middle East.
The Soviet KGB drafted the PLO’s founding charter in 1964, framing the Palestinian struggle as anti-colonial to justify violent tactics & aligning it with global anti-Western extremism
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The Soviet KGB drafted the PLO’s founding charter in 1964, framing the Palestinian struggle as anti-colonial to justify violent tactics & aligning it with global anti-Western extremism
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With the Soviet back, Palestinian militancy was deeply shaped by communism in the early years.
The PFLP, led by George Habash, joined PLO in 1968. Its Marxist ideology was murderous.
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The PFLP, led by George Habash, joined PLO in 1968. Its Marxist ideology was murderous.
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The PFLP deputy Wadie Haddad worked closely with the KGB and received arms from them through South Yemen to orchestrate violent attacks on Israel.
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